Sink or Swim
by DaughteroftheRedKing
Summary: One-shot. When you have a 1 in 3 chance of living, and you're trying to protect someone else, it starts getting a little complicated. (From when Yuri saves Ioder on the boat)


**A/N: So, the title is a bit weird...I honestly couldn't think of anything besides this, 'Drowned' or some saying that I couldn't properly remember about frying pans and fire and stuff... Seeing as 'Drowned' is a bit misleading, I went with this.**

**So, while playing Tales of Vesperia, I came to the scene after they fight Zagi on the boat, where Yuri saves Ioder. And I thought, as I have before, 'Wow. That was anticlimatic'.**

**I think the problem is that because it's a game, it can't get across the thoughts and feelings very well, making it seem a little more boring than it should be. I love the game, I really do, but some bits disappoint me slightly.**

**So...I thought I'd rewrite it.**

**I don't know how good it is, but I hope it's at least adequate.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia. It belongs to Namco Bandai.**

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The heat was almost unbearable. He covered his mouth, trying not to breath the smoke in.

"The boat's sinking!" cried Karol, and he almost wanted to yell 'obviously' back. Still, they were turning to him, their leader in a moment of panic.

"Everyone into the water!" he ordered. Common sense, but even Rita nodded as if it waas an amazing idea.

"Is anyone out there?" someone coughed from within the cabin, and he half turned, hesitating. To run back now could mean he wound up dead...Then agan, if he couldn't help people right infront of him, what was he supposed to do? So he turned, rushing back into the cabin and ignoring Estelle's cry.

The flames were intense. He sheilded his mouth, squinting as he tried to make out who had spoken, before he spotted a mop of blonde hair. He hurried over to them, kneeling beside them.

"Hey! Are you okay?" he asked.

They looked up at him dizzily, and Yuri fot the sensation he knew him from somewhere. He quickly shoved the feeling aside, bending down and lifting him up.

"I'm gonna get you out, okay?" he said, dragging him towards the door.

Water suddenly came rushing in, and he blinked before gripping the boy tightly. The water slammed into them, and Yuri quickly clamped a hand on the boy's mouth so that he didn't swallow any. Within seconds the cabin was filled with water.

When it finally calmed, Yuri started swimming upwards. He maneuvoured through the door, glancing around to figure which way was up. A few boxes hit him as they floated around in the churning water, and the water itself was starting to ger into his wounds, making them sting furiously.

The boy went limp in his grasp, and he growled in frustration as his weight began to drag him down slightly too. His lungs were already begging for air, and he wouldn't last much longer at this rate.

He suddenly spotted the others kicking slightly at the surface, and would have sighed in relief. Instead, he readjusted his grip on the boy and began swimming for the surface.

His legs felt like lead, every movement laboured, but finally he reached the surface. His lungs greedily took in the fresh air, spluttering for a moment before he finally steadied himself. He dragged the boy up too, and grunted with the effort of holding himself and the boy above water.

He was almost starting to wonder if his legs would give out when Flynn arrived. The relief was overwhelming, and he swam for the ladder, grabbing it and allowing it to take his weight. Flynn came down and took the boy - Ioder - off his hands, meaning he had a little time while the others climbed up to get a bit of strength back in his legs and arms.

When it was his turn, he grabbed the ladder and climbed up it, almost collapsing as he reached the deck. Flynn, who had handed Ioder over to Sodia, came over looking concerned.

"Yuri?" he asked, kneeling beside him.

Yuri glanced up at him, smirking.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

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**A/N: I'm not sure how well I represented it...the first bit, at least, seemed a little too vague. But I hope it was okay anyway!**

**Review?**


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